Chicago Fire Academy Drops 6-1 to Manchester City in Al Kass International Cup

CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire U-16 Academy got off to a promising start in their second match of the Al Kass International Cup, but a strong second-half performance from Manchester City ultimately led to their downfall, forcing a 6-1 loss at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday.

The Fire U-16s opened the scoring in the fourth minute as midfielder Kevin Timachy finished a rebound off of Djordje Mihalovic’s shot, giving his side a 1-0 advantage. City retaliated at the 26-minute mark with an equalizer from Daniel Barbir, sending both squads into halftime with a tied score.

The second half belonged to City, who dominated possession and shots on goal. Paulo Cantin was able to give the English side its first lead of the match in the 60th minute, firing the ball into the top right corner of the net.

The Fire U-16s had a chance to equalize in the 81st minute, but the play resulted in a chip off the post and City was able to break on the counter attack. After moving the ball up the field, Isaac Buckley-Ricketts cut inside and blasted one past Fire U-16 goalkeeper Raymon Leon Jr. at the 82-minute mark, setting off a chain of goals that widened the scoring gap.

Two minutes later, Buckley-Ricketts struck again to put City up 4-1. Zackarias Faour followed up with a pair of goals of his own in the 88th and 92nd minute to close out the game at 6-1.

The Fire U-16s will partake in one final match for placement on Friday before returning home. The match can be caught online at www.alkassinternationalcup.com.